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WHO and MMV launch new malaria map tool

25 April 2013

On the occasion of World Malaria Day 2013, the WHO Global Malaria Programme and the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) launched a newly-designed mapping tool that allows users to build customized maps using data from WHO’s World Malaria Report. The Global Malaria Mapper is a free platform, accessible to interested individuals and organizations from all over the world.

This is the first time that a mapping tool has been created to allow users of the World Malaria Report to interact with the report’s database. The Global Malaria Mapper will help malaria researchers, programme managers and stakeholders to create maps to illustrate a range of themes, including epidemiological profiles for countries and regions, reported cases and deaths, and the scale-up of interventions within a given geographical location.

“By creating an interactive map tool to visualize the World Malaria Report, the data becomes accessible and easier to interpret,” said George Jagoe, Executive Vice President of Access and Project Management at MMV. “Anyone interested in data on malaria control can benefit from this new tool and customize maps for their presentations or reports.”

“Through the Global Malaria Mapper, control programmes in endemic countries and malaria partners will be able to build their own visualizations of the malaria situation around the world,” said Dr Richard Cibulskis, Coordinator for Strategy, Economics and Elimination at the WHO Global Malaria Programme. “In addition to being a tremendous research tool, we hope that the Mapper will help to strengthen the malaria response at country level.”

Malaria occurs in 99 countries worldwide, exacting a heavy toll on human health and imposing a major social and economic burden on endemic countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. A recent expansion of malaria interventions – including a scale-up of mosquito control measures, diagnostic testing and treatment – has contributed to a significant decrease in the malaria burden around the world.